Believing is Seeing
by Clockwick
Summary: "Help Me!" Her scream bounced off the naked branches and were carried with the wind as her fingers slipped over the ledge of the quarry. JackxOCxPitch.
1. Believing is Seeing

**Believing is Seeing**

Authors Note: I've jumped onto the band wagon for the series! Please gentle, I'm writing in a perspective I detest writing in. Also, this story has been brought to you by a writing prompt

Rated: T

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'_Bundle up or Jack Frost will be nipping at your nose_'

It all started with that simple phrase.

Mother and the other adults in the town would always mention something along the lines of that during this time of year, but I never understood who exactly this Jack Frost was. Is he supposed to be like the Easter Bunny, Sand Man, Tooth Fairy or even Santa Claus? Next thing someone is going to tell me is that goblins are real...

I trudged through the heavy snow on my way back home from school; I absolutely loved snow days! They were the breaths of fresh air that I needed when it came to being cramped in a building for seven plus hours. It was like eating your favorite dish after a year of not having it, or hearing the sweet sounds of your mother's voice for the first time after being born deft.  
That is what snow does to me... even the bite of the cold felt like electricity, and it was brimming in the air.

Now that I thought about it, it had already been a year since those weird incidents, teeth would not being swapped for cash and Easter never came. There was even a freak blackout somewhere to the east- it had messed with anything electrical from lights to radio signals- the whole situation was just down right freaky and the news had made little to no sense when questions were asked; just that it was a fluke waiting to happen.

It didn't matter anymore because I stopped trusting what adults said a long time ago.

"Why didn't I wear snow boots," I huffed and puffed while climbing a hill in a pair of sneakers.

Traction in the winter wonderland was nearly impossible in the constant falling snow and eyeing the amount that was falling around me lead me to believe that the snow would only get deeper. As if on cue, the wind picked up a staggering amount, causing me to lose my footing at the top of the hill. My scream bounced off the naked trees, the endless clouds and was carried with the wind while I slid down the hill. Well, I say hill but the reality was that it was part of the old rock quarry that was abandoned and I just walked through because it was the fastest way to and from school. I just needed to stay away from the edges that curved into a steep drop into a pit of sharp slabs of rock.

"_Never go through the quarry, Tea'em. It's not safe and I'm not ready to lose anyone else," My mother would constantly scold me every time she found out, "you are an accident just waiting to happen."_

My name wasn't even Tea'em; it was just a nickname; a nickname that should have died.  
Tea'em was a play on words paper wise- that was pronounced 'T.M.', an abbreviation for 'trouble maker'.  
My real name was Charlemagne, in case anyone was interested in knowing.

As I was slid down, I tried to grasp onto anything to slow down but the gravel and snow were quick to uproot and fall with me. Crap.

"Help me!" My single cry to the world as my fingers slipped past the ledge where met with a bittersweet beauty of nature. The sky- while it snowed- was absolutely perfect. It was the type of day where it could be one o' clock in the morning and it would still be bright outside even without seeing a single sliver of sky. The silence of everything when it snows was beautiful, breath taking. Just watching as the snow fell with me was beautiful. Yeah, I guess it sucks that it's cold and you have to shovel it out, but coming in from the cold and putting on warm clothes, sitting in the heat, and drinking hot chocolate would have been so relaxing.

'_I'm going to miss those memories._' I thought as I closed my eyes, accepting my fate.

"Hold on!" Shouted a voice that jarred me out of my pseudo-peaceful moment. My eyes shot open to see a figure dive off of the ledge, his form steadily growing closer like he was being pushed by the wind.

'_What is that guy doing?! Doesn't he know that he would die too?'_

Is this man real or was he just a figure of my imagination that my mind conquered in my final moments of life? I have to give myself a pat on the back because this guy was _fine_. Lithe built, pale, snowy white hair and the deepest blue eyes I've ever gazed upon and he was so close I could see such determination burning from deep within.  
He really thought he could save me...

_Wait, were his clothes _frosted_ in ice?_

"Charlie! Give me your hand!" I must have been nuts, like acorns. There I was falling to my doom, and I'm ogling this guy like a piece of meat; what an attractive steak indeed…

And he knew my name. **What**?

When he was close enough I swung up and clasped my hand just below his elbow and he did the same, quickly pulling me into his embrace, tucking my head under his chin as we both plummeted. I clung to him for dear life and squeezed my eyes shut, awaiting impact.

But it never came.

Over the roar of the wind, came that titillating spiraling sensation which sent my stomach up into my throat. It felt like I was on one of those wicked roller coaster rides at a theme park! His voice rang through his chest as he continued to hoot while riding the wind, completely oblivious to my queasy state of mind. I think my savior was having a bit too much fun at my dispense. It was only when we touchdown that all was calm and quiet. Man I could not believe that just happened to me...

"Wow that was a close one, huh?" His laugh reverberated through his chest, right into my ear.

"Huh?"

I didn't need a mirror to know that I looked dumbstruck, anyone would be too if they fell to their death only to be snatched at the last second by someone who was as cold as ice.

'_Speaking of ice…_' my mind switched into gear and assessed the situation. We were a safe enough distance from the Quarry just beyond the borderline of the woods where no one could see us.

"Hey, you" I poked him hard in the chest, sight seeing was officially over.  
"Are you crazy?!"

That earned him another harder poke and an 'Ow' escaped him. Who in their right minds would jump off a ledge just to save someone they barely even knew- not to mention the fact that they are not wear shoes!? Yes, I did look down and noticed that.

"Usually I get thanked for saving someone's life," he said while rubbing his chest. A quirk of the brow and a smirk on his face was just what I needed to become flustered.

"You're a mad man!" Was the only thing that my mind could conjure. What the hell brain? Don't turn to mush just because you were saved by a cutie.  
"I mean, I'm grateful for the rescue, really. Truly I am. But, we both could have died! What would your family say to that? And you're not wearing shoes! You'll get sick!"

His laugh broke the tension and he tousled his hair, bits of snowflakes fell and fluttered to the ground as he walked around a tree idly. With a flick of his staff, the snow tumbled into the wind and danced before them. She could have sworn he just ignored her. What was his deal?

"If you're going to ignore me then can you at least tell me how did you know my name?" I knew I should be weary of strangers but for bizarre reasons beyond my knowledge, it felt like I was meeting an old friend after years of separation.

"Oh, I know everybody's name." He didn't even bother to look at her as he spoke. He just let his feet wander wherever they would take him, in this case, they took him behind an old oak tree.

"Whatever. Be mysterious for all I care." I crossed my arms and turned my nose to the sky, "I don't care."

"Liar."

His voice did not come from behind the tree like it should have, instead, it sounded as if it came from above. My head shot up to see the boy perched on a branch where frost crystals were starting to reach outwards from his feet. My perplexed expression brought about another smirk from him as he stood and gracefully walked along the branch.

"You're not a normal person, are you? Nobody I know has hair as white as snow or can fly. Plus I'm pretty sure that branch should have easily snapped under your weight."

"Hey, don't call me fat, I just saved your life!" His pout made him even cuter. Damn. "Wouldn't someone your age have the common sense to stay away from the Quarry?"

His jab made me mirror his pout and I had hold my arms crossed tighter in order to behave; somewhat. How dare he-

"Don't you dare call me old!" I stomped my foot in the snow and glared up at him. Who the hell did he think he was anyway? "Who the hell are you? For all I know you could be pedophile trying to lure me away with sweet, delicious candy."

'_That would explain the white hair…'_

Without losing a beat, the boy dropped down from the tree only to float briefly above the snow. He stabbed his staff into the ground to hold it steady so that both his hands were free. His gaze never faltered as his hands swooped around, collecting snow and ice, meticulously molding while he spoke.

"My name is Jack Frost and this," his hands opened to reveal a small thing of ice. He blew on it and it quickly bloomed into an ice rose, "is for you."

The gesture caught me so off guard that I could only sputter out a thank you while taking the flower in my hand. It really was made of ice! As I continued to gaze upon the gift, Jack's eyes flicked back over to the quarry, a look of worry flashed onto his face.

"You need to be more careful, Charlie. Or that nickname of yours will never go away." I looked up to meet his gaze and simply nodded, showing him that I've heard. "People your age are a dying breed and sooner or later you'll stop believing in fairies, magick- even me- and you'll grow up."

You guessed it, I still believed.  
The situation had come about because of my mother who tried to convince my father and I otherwise, but it was he was the one who would not hear of it. My father was the one who taught me to believe, that not everything could be explained by science and that you didn't have to see to believe.  
He believed all the way up until the very end. It was the thing we shared and cherished and I would not let anyone take that away from me. Ever.

"Jack," I placed the flower behind my ear for a bit so that both of my hands could be free to cup his face, "I'll always believe in you, but there will come a day when I'll have to go and you can't stop me."

This _familiarity _I had for Jack was unraveling my memories. There was no doubt that I did know him- but from when? How?  
He tried to protest but I clapped my hand over his mouth.

"Shush, I'm not done. You can't keep saving me every time I'm in danger. You just can't stop the ever spinning circle of life. "

His hands reached to pull mine away and held it between us. His hands were so cold… as if, he was no longer human. The thought brought a chill down my spine, which he noticed.

"I know. I've been watching you since you were a baby. You always loved the snow- just as much as I do. I remembered all the things you would create in the snow and how you'd play all day until your feet were frozen. It's just hard to watch as you get older."

Well that was a surprise, and I felt like a dweeb for acting so harshly towards him. He had been watching over me? That would explain some of the weird stuff while growing up. Like the random snow days when I would plead to the moon, or the snowballs, or even the footprints.

To explain I would have to go back in time to when I was younger. I had developed the habit of exploring at a young age; being an only child helped to nurture this. There was a time when I would dash outside in the winter to marvel at the sight of the snow, but one day, I had got carried away and became terribly lost in the woods, and it was getting dark. I remembered how scared and cold I was; the fear had me running from every shadow and noise and it was hours before I made it back home. The only thing about that day that never faded from my memory were the footprints I followed that helped me get back home. When I told my parents about that my mother just laughed, saying that it was impossible for someone to be out this far from civilization in this weather. My father on the other hand claimed it was my guardian angel watching over me. I guess the old man was right.

"You've been there the whole time?" I couldn't keep my voice from breaking as I spoke. Such dedication. Such…. Love?

Jack's smile was not ignored as I threw my arms around him, sending us both into the snow. He had always been there, watching, helping and caring. This feeling, it was how I used to feel before my father's accident. I felt loved once again.

"Jack?" I wasn't sure he had heard my whisper until his hand came to rest upon my waist.

"Yeah?"

"If you've been watching me," I buried my head into his chest, it was my only attempt to smother my sob, "why did you let my daddy die?"

His eyes flew open in horror to the day she was referring to. That day was not like it was today, cloudy enough to distort one's perception of time. Instead it was the polar opposite.

A day of darkness.

Her father had been driving his eighteen-wheeler across the country during the same time as Pitch's rampage. He was one of the few casualties brought on by the guardians fighting. It was the swarm of black sand that did him in; the sand that put him to sleep, a sleep so deep that his rig ran off the mountain and into a quarry similar to today. Jack simply could not have saved him. He was too busy fighting nightmares. And Pitch. He was protecting all the children in the world.

"I… I'm so sorry" he clung to her, wrapping his arms tightly around while pressing his face into her hair. He felt like a failure. Like it was his fault, and in a way, it was. Jack could have stopped it all; could have, if he had not had been so selfish to find his memories.

Those simple words had been all she needed to hear. Her arms wormed their way around his neck and she returned his hug, while whispering her words of forgiveness into his neck. The sight of them comforting each other was breath taking itself. There was no need for lewd contemplation, or words really. The two just cried.

Jack, for letting down someone important and Charlie, for closure. It was what they both needed.

* * *

Years had pass since that fateful day. Charlie no longer felt jaded about her father or his death. Instead, she carried herself with pride everywhere that she went. She had grown into a fine young lady who cared deeply for the children; she even opened a fantasy bookstore called, "T.M." which stood for 'The Make-believers' where she'd read to children religiously, filling their heads with wonder, hope and fun. She spoke fondly of the guardians of childhood; those that protected the innocence while in return, where protected by the children as well.

But time would not be so kind to her. Charlie grew older but did not grow up. Her life had brought joy to many children and numerous would continue to pass her stories down to their kids for generations.

Some would say that if a person truly believed in the guardians, and that the moon was full during the winter season, you could see two figures holding hands as they walked above the snow- giggling and frolicking through the glistening fields.

Strangely enough, if one was ever to visit her grave, there would always be fresh flowers and some Easter Eggs. Maybe the world wasn't so black and white as adults would have hoped.

**Believing is Seeing**

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This is the end of Chapter One! I do plan on posting this story in three parts. It will be Rated-M so prepare yourselves. Call it a special feature because this story has acquired so much... hype! Thank you all!**  
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(P.S- I like your shoe laces.)


	2. I See You

**I See You**

Two out of three chapters done! Thank you all for reading, next chapter will be posted within the week.

(2/13: I abhorred how the first chapter went so I did some editing and now I'm doing the same for this chapter. Hopefully this will light the fires and get me to write the 3rd chapter...)

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Silence.

Such a word had terrifying power over everything. If spoken, then the word simply shatters and flies with the wind; the word could spread like a disease, infection was unavoidable. The creatures of the forest knew this fact well; they also knew that if Jack Frost was ever silent for too long- then something was certainly wrong.

He had been in a rut for some time now- give or take a couple decades- and nobody could truly help him. Well, not in the way **he** wanted. Jack Frost, a three-hundred year old entity in the form of a teenage boy, was frustrated.

"Auughh!"

_Sexually._

Jack leaned back against the tree trunk, balanced high above his frosted forest, banging his head repeatedly in hopes that frustration would go away. He was an entity of ice and snow for fun's sake. Why was it that he constantly felt hot and bothered?

'_It was because of her_'

Yes, her. The girl for who he was fond of.

"Tea'em!"

He didn't bother to hold on as he leaned over the edge to gaze down at the thumb-sized owner of the noise. Even from up high he could tell that it was a boy and a girl- _his_ girl, Charlie. Jack didn't particularly care for the male so much, but it was to be expected. Charlie held a child-like glow to her that absolutely everybody coveted; some wanted to crush her spirit and others just simply wanted her out of exoticism.

This was just another snowflake to the fire, nothing for him to worry about. This boy would melt like all the others.

"That is not my name Drake and I already told you that I'm not interested." Her voice dripped with annoyance while she yanked her wrist out of the boy's grip. She turned to walk away only for her pursuer to grab her by the elbow.

"You were interested before. Why the sudden change? Come on baby, daddy wants a lil sugar."

Drake leaned in for a kiss and only got a slap to the face by a flustered Charlie,  
"You jerk! I wouldn't do anything with you if you were the last human on earth."

With a final tug she ripped away from Drake, leaving him dumbstruck as Jack tried to quietly laugh. This was certainly amusing; maybe watching this could make him feel better.

"Hey bitch!"

Or not.

Before Charlie had time to register, she was whirled around and pinned to a tree, Jack's tree.

"Let me go, creep!" She tried to push her arm away from the tree but the boy was too strong, he simply slammed her back against the bark. Her cry of pain brought Jack to his feet and down the tree for a closer look, ready to pounce if necessary.

"You need to grow up! I thought it was cute that you still believed in fairy tales and things but this isn't cool anymore. You can't seriously believe that Santa or,-" he paused, trying to remember some of the tails from his childhood- only to come up with hardly any, "-or Jack Frost."

From above, Jack could see the sneer on her lips and the anger roll off her in waves. That was not the smartest of moves for dear ole Drake.

"If it bothers you that much that I'm still a kid at heart then why don't you just let me go and never speak to me again?" Charlie held her head up high and refused to shy away from his stare.

"Thatta girl," Jack whispered, leaning against the trunk of the tree, his smirk growing with each second. He felt proud of Charlie, not that she could stand up for herself, but the fact that she was slightly older than the other kids and still believed- chose to dream- and as long as she did, Jack would always protect her .

Drake's smirk did not disappear, not even when his hand snapped to her neck and raised her off the ground to pin her flush against the tree. Charlie gasped and gripped his wrist with both hands, trying every which way to get him to let go. She did, however, miss the slight veil of black sand creep from beneath his pants.

Jack didn't.

"I think it's about time to introduce you to something that not even the eldest of adults are resistant to." His voice dropped, figure grew, and the Drake that Charlie knew was gone, and in his place stood a man of sinister features. Black skin coupled with black hair and grey eyes -with a touch of gold around the iris- this man was unearthly. He did not belong to this world.

The shadowy male merely chucked and raised her up to eye level easily as if she weighed nothing at all; his gaze pierced her soul, seeing just how easily she was terrified. She started to shake like a leaf as he drew closer, his nose traced along the shell of her ear before voicing a hiss of pleasure.

"Even you are not immune to the Fear." That voice, low and deep struck to her very core. His words began to weave their way around her mind as black sand worked its way around her legs, creeping upwards to bind at the wrist, leaving the man free to let go. Charlie tried to struggle, but her limps would not obey her mind. It was as if she was watching this all happen from outside her body.

'_Please, someone help me!_' Her thoughts screamed. The man laughed at her mute-ism brought on by fear. Could he really hear her thoughts?

"Ah, yes. Scream for me little one." He delicately traced a finger along her jaw, admiring her reactions. Everything about this woman boggled his mind. He knew that Jack kept this one very close to his heart, but why? She wasn't even a child anymore! What could it be that makes her shine? The longer he looked, the more baffled he became.

Her eyes, that's what it was! Yes, they still held everything that the guardians protected; she still believed. The smile on his face had her leaning as far away as she could. Everything about him just rubbed her the wrong way. She needed to get away, fast.

"Your screams shall be much sweeter when I take away that innocence."

Without missing a beat, Charlie tried to lunged for the mysterious man, with full intent of harming him. Her natural instincts had red flagged this man and was screaming 'danger! Run!' but what she had not expected were the black tendrils of sand gripping her by the wrists to creep their way down to her elbows and waist to hold her a hair's length from him; the more she struggled, the tighter her restraints became. It was when the black tentacles slithered up to caressed the apex of her thighs, did it entice an illicit moan from within her throat. She felt ashamed, filthy and vulgar for even reacting in such a way. Her cheeks flushed but try as she might, she could not shy away from the contact. Why had she moaned? It had rocketed out of her before she could smother it.

'_Who is this guy and why would he do such things to me?_' Her legs buckled at the sensation and it nearly melted all her thoughts as she unknowingly rocked herself, creating delicious friction.

"Ah my little bird, you do not know who I am?" The statement brought on a sneer, more annoyed than angered that she knew everyone but him. Charlie tried to look away to hide her shame but Pitch grabbed her by the chin to look her dead in the eyes.  
"I am shadow out of the corner of your eye, the itch in the back of your head when you think that you might not be alone in the dark. I'm the one everyone fears. My name is Pitch, and I shall be your nightmare."

Not so far above, Jack braced himself against the tree, face flush red and feeling a crippling sensation from deep within; it had him groaning from the sight below. No, he must stop it right now.

'_But I can't…_' His mind lobbed back, '_it's just too much._'

He suddenly hunched over as those three hundred years of sexual frustration piled higher, nearly crushing his resolve. Just below him was his Charlie, yes **his **Charlie, fighting for her innocence against the personified being of the boogie man, Pitch.

'_If I don't do something, then she'll be consumed by him,_' his grip caused the bristling ice along his staff, his anger flaring,

'_She'd never be the same again!_'

Pitch's sand slid over Charlie, slowly sinking into her subconscious, stilling her movements while his words coaxed her to unwind. This was the poison to his bite; his words could enchant anyone if their will was weak; it was only a matter of time before she was broken by him. Soon that child-like innocence would be gone after he was done traumatizing her. Why not have fun with this one?

"Let her go!"

That voice. Pitch spun and raised his scythe to smoothly block Jack's staff from coming into contact with him.

"Ah, Jack Frost, so nice of you to join us!" Pitch warmly greeted the youth with a shark-like smile before effortlessly flinging the boy as far back as he could, give or take a few yards. Pitch was then met with a barrage of ice balls, with rocks in their centers.

"Release Charlie!"

Effortlessly, Pitch ebbed into the shadow of a tree and reappeared from behind another, his weapon gone. To him, Jack was no longer a threat after he found a new source of fear, fear from those in war. That vein was a strong one, stronger than the fear he tried to instill within the children only a year or so ago. With this new found strength he was able to leave Charlie to the mercy of his sand; they had a mind of their own just like his stallions did, but he made sure they slowed their process down so that way he could be back just in time to finish his task. Fighting Jack would not take long at all.

"So that's what her name was!" Pitch had tracked Charlie just after she left her home and only heard her mother use the nickname of Tea'em; he just assumed that was her name. "Tell me, old friend, why this one?"

Pitch dodged a swing of the staff and dissolved behind Jack's back only to appear next to Charlie. Sand had worked their way up and around her neck to keep her still while other tendrils had worked their ways underneath her winter layers. The apparent color on her face tipped off Jack that lecherous things were being done to her. Pitch followed his eyes and quickly connected the dots; and just as easily as breathing, Pitch had her coat zip open to show Jack the lovely view of her.

Charlie was still suspended in the air by the sand and that did not hide Jack from seeing everything. The tendrils could easily be seen from under her attire; some wiggled around her stomach and up through her bra, groping and pinching as they went while more were slithering up her pant leg or beneath her belt to stroke at her core through her underwear. What hit Jack the hardest wasn't the sight of Charlie, but rather how her eyes were half-lidded in lust. Those beautiful brown eyes of hers, usually so clear and full of life were clouded and golding, just like the stallions used to be. Her skin no longer held a healthy glow, but rather grayed like Pitch's.

"What have you done to her?" His rage was building; Jack stabbed his staff into the ground which sent a shock wave of snow flying outward. The sight of his Charlie like this was just too much for him to ignore and those feelings of frustration were shelved deep within his mind.

"Oh, you like?" His hands came to glide up her torso, between her breasts and up her neck, well into her hair. His touch gave her a shudder which she enjoyed and hated. The Charlie that Jack knew was no longer here, locked away within the dark corners of her mind and in her place was another slave to fear and lust.

"Such a perfect specimen," he tugged at her hair to arouse a whimper, "I started to think, and it just came to me. She's too old for you Jack, well, sort of, and she plays nicely. Might as well keep her right? I can use her until she breaks, and then I can cast her back into the real world- where she belongs." His fingers wrapped around a curl of her hair, considering his next words that could break the boy.

"Of course when all this is said and done, she would not remember a thing- not you, me or any of the guardians. She would live with the bitterness in her heart and not know why. Just like an adult." As he spoke, his grip loosened and he laughed into her hair.

'_Oh what fun_' he thought as he planted kisses along her collar. Charlie's lifeless eyes just stared at Jack, not registering what was going on. No form of emotion could touch her while she was at the mercy of Pitch and the mere sight enraged Jack.

"Last time Pitch. Let. Her. **Go**" his grip on his staff tightened, his eyes never left hers. He will save her. No doubt about that.

"How about 'No'. Now run along, the grown-ups are going to play a little game." Pitch yanked Charlie by the jaw and pulled her to his lips forcefully. Whether she was in discomfort or not, she didn't voice it; all she did was comply with his orders. She and the sand were almost one, and that could only mean that she was under his power. The sand had allowed her to move her hands to wrapped themselves around Pitch, pressing herself flush with him while she fervently kissed him back. Before Jack could do anything rash, Pitch snapped his fingers and life flooded back into Charlie with an exasperated gasp and she pushed as hard as she could. She struggled against Pitch's lips and nearly wept as her eyes focused on Jack's. Why was he here, had he been watching this whole time?

Perfect. This was exactly what Pitch wanted. What better way than to break Jack Frost than to take his girl in front of his very eyes. Charlie continued to reject all of Pitches advances, until he tugged at her hair and pressed her against tree once more. With Pitch at her lips, the sand constantly moving in places she'd only wished to be touched, Jack was immobilized by the sight.

"Stop, stop it now!" Jack's flood gates to his emotions finally broke and a flash of pure power surged over the area, enveloping the three of them and such power, sending Pitch and his sand back into the darkness from whence they came.

With nothing to hold Charlie up, her body took a tumbled to the snow only to be caught by Jack. Her body's heat and his natural chill had steam rolling off of them in waves, but Jack did not care. He was holding his Charlie again, and that was okay.

With her head resting on his chest, Jack held his arm out for his staff to return and stabbed it into the ground where a barrier of ice quickly covered them. There was no way he was going to chance another encounter with Pitch and right now, she needed him.

"Come one Charlie, wake up. Please!" Tapping her cheek lightly did not make her stir. Her skin was still grey and from under her lids he could still see the gold irises.

"No, no no no no no!" His grip grew tighter as he held her close, not knowing what to do. It looked like Pitch had succeeded in converting her into another being of nightmares,

'_But I thought I made it_'

The rise and fall of her chest was the only hint that she was still alive, but how long would that last? How long would it take until she took that last drag of life?

* * *

"Please Charlie, don't leave me." Jack whispered into the crook of her neck, pleading to the man in the moon that she should not die.

"Charlie…" his whispers echoed deep inside her mind. She could feel the words rather than hear. The darkness had taken her warmth and sight but that did little to no harm as she floated through the abyss. It was the sand that had pulled her under and the last thing she could remember was the sight of golden eyes. What had she been doing, and why could she not wake up? Didn't she have something to do today?

"Charlie…"

There it was again! That voice, she had heard it before but who was calling her name? Was it the person with golden eyes?

"Charlie, you need to remember. It'll help bring you back. Remember the time you got lost in the woods when you were younger, or when you slipped and fell from the rock quarry? Or the days when I would bring you snow so that school could let you have a snow day."

What on earth was this voice talking about; had he brought me snow, like, in a bucket?

"Remember how you used to walk outside at two in the morning on those snowy nights where it was still bright as day? Never had you felt alone, because you truly were not alone."

Was this voice a stalker?

"Charlemagne…"

Each word the voice spoke brought clarity to the space around her. The voice had definition to where she could tell it was a boy who spoke and the memories began to flicker. The time she was in the woods when she was eight had ended the night with her following someone's footsteps right to her front door. That was a day to remember, the stride on those feet were almost too wide for her to walk in because the snow was just that high.

The memory of the quarry, a boy had saved her- she knew that much- but could not place how he did so. Why was everything so hard to think about? Recalling much of anything was like an uphill battle that she was slowly losing. Like a dream...

"Ow, my head!"

Charlie curled up into a ball and wrapped her arms around her head as the memories pounded away, revealing more so than she could believe possible. Her family blossomed before her, showing how closer her father had been to her- compared to her mother, but then it changed. Her dad dissolved, leaving a bitter image of her and her mother.

'No, Daddy don't go!' She screamed and reached out. What had happened to make him vanish?

Then a laugh so dark permeated her memories, muddling them with black sand.

Wait, what? Black sand?

The flurry of sand clouded the vision of her memories, approaching closer and closer with each scream that she made. This sand terrified her and she did not know why. Why was this sand here in the first place? Should she reach out and touch it?

As she stretched to touch its grainy surface, the flurry expanded and contracted to take form of a man with golden eyes.

"Oh Charlie," His voice mixed with the one from before, the way they spoke in unison sent chills down her spine.

"Where am I?"

"Ah my dear," his form circled around her, "what an odd question to ask. Why not the old, 'who are you' or 'why am I here'? Seems to me like those questions are things you already know."

Her puzzled look did not faze the man as he continued circling around. Charlie made sure to never have her back to him as she did not feel safe.

"I don't care who you are or why I am here. I just want to know what this place is."

Silence was her answer, at first, along with a dull stare and a raised eyebrow. He then sighed and placed his fingers to his temples, to numb the migraine that was growing beneath the skin.

"My name is Pitch and I am your guide; welcome to Limbo." Short, sweet and to the point.

"Wait, you seriously think I'll take that for an answer? Tell me where I really am. Now!" Her shouts did nothing to alleviate the man's headache as he flinched. His next action was not his fault as he thoughtlessly sent her flying with his black sand. Crap.

"You better be happy that gravity doesn't work here and that only my ego is bruised. You know, this one time…" Even from so far away Pitch could hear her voice and, oh how he thought this was Hell. "…Hey, are you even listening to me?"

Charlie pouted at Pitch after she realized that he was no longer listening. Good. Now she could find more ways to annoy him, because he was annoying her too.

"So do you know how to leave this place. Sir?" That last part caught Pitch off guard, snapping his head over to her direction.

"You don't like Limbo?"

Charlie shook her head and floated closer to the mister, having that gut feeling that he was familiar. Her eyes pleaded with him as she drew closer that Pitch had no choice but to tell her the truth.

Because no one could lie here in Limbo.

"Limbo is the place one goes between life and death."

"So I'm dead?"

"You're so very close to it. Yes" Such news had Charlie slumping her shoulders. Why could she not remember how she had died? Or almost died? "I however am here to offer an olive branch- of sorts."

Pitch was the one to slip closer and raise her chin with a single finger. In her eyes was a single tear and that almost burned to look at.

"I can make you immortal. You and I could leave this place and never have to worry about death-"

"-No thanks." Her curt response caught him off guard that he didn't even get a chance to finish.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, 'no thanks' Sir. I don't want to be immortal." She placed her hands behind her head and lounged back into the nothingness. "If that is the only way to leave this place then I'll just have to find my own way out, or die trying."

Her rejection irked the man. She could tell straight away when she had noticed the sand flare around them.

"You brat! How dare you reject my offer? Nobody rejects the Boogie Man!"

The revealing of what he truly was did not scare the girl off, not in the least bit. She simply tilted her head to the side and continued to stare.

"Why should I want be immortal? From the looks of things, you're quite happy."

Her words held no hate or disgust for Pitch, not in the slightest. He almost had to grapple with his thoughts to remember what he was saying.

"What makes being human so special?"

A shrug would not have sufficed with Pitch- she knew this type of person. They would keep asking until she cracked. It would have been better to answer anything annoying now.

"Time." Her smile made the Boogie Man uneasy, and he did not know why. "Because we have so little of it, everything becomes something we will cherish. Whether it be friends, family or even memories of a snowy day- we always will cherish it. If I was to become immortal, I would lose the spark that makes me plow forward into the unknown, the same spark that drives the human race to succeed."

The snarl Pitch gave her showed that he still wasn't satisfied with her answer. They never were. Charlie had a sense of déjà vu, as if she had this talk before with someone and before she could, the words flew out of her mouth,

"My time in this world is valuable to me and I don't want to lose my humanity."

Humanity was a lost concept for Pitch, but that didn't mean he could ignore this proverbial spit to the face. If she truly did not want to become like him, then that was her choice to make.

'_I will not have a whiny brat to tend to for all eternity._'

"You seem very set in your ways Miss Charlemagne."

"Yes," she nodded and a small squeak of a laugh slipped out, "I am. Thank you for the offer though. It's really sweet of you to care but everything has to end eventually in order to make room for new life. Who am I to be selfish? I'm pretty sure that even when I die, anything that is worth saving shall live on in the lives that I touch. So in a way, I might already be immortal."

Pitch chose to remain silent at this fact. If she would not accept his offer then there was little reason for him to stay here. His power had healed him long ago so he could materialize in the real world. This was just polite banter for him.

"Then I shall bid thee far well. "

"Pitch, wait!"

Before he was able to fully grasp the situation, Charlie grabbed him by the head and head-butts him square in the forehead.

"That was for the touchy sand you pervert!"

'_Ah, so she did remember._'

The contact of heads had him explode into sand, taking the dark room with him.

* * *

Here is a good place to leave off. I just wanted to get this posted before the crazy school life grabs hold of me.

Oh, before I forget, Reviews are like chocolate!


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